Friends across the Galaxies
by Athena2008
Summary: Sam Carter and John Sheppard strike up a friendship that persists as Sheppard embarks on his new adventure in the Pegasus Galaxy. S1 through 4, SJ with a little ShepWeir thrown in.
1. Making Friends

A/N: Well, I don't how well this story will go over with die hard Atlantis fans, but it's been a story (well, a series of stories, really) that has been floating around in my head for some time. Actually, this story came about way before I found out that Carter would be joining the Atlantis team. So, at the risk of this entire story series becoming AU in a few months, I want to start posting it now. Needless to say, I'm a fan of both SG-1 and Atlantis, and I love the characters on both. So, in that capacity, I wanted to write this series in which we see two characters who have had almost no on-screen interaction actually being friends.

There are five stories in this series, one for each time the Atlantis team is back on Earth (and, of course, one set during "The Pegasus Project", where SG-1 is on Atlantis). So, I hope that you enjoy these stories. The first is set during "Stargate Atlantis: The Rising".

Disclaimer: I do not own the Stargate franchise (or anything for that matter...).

* * *

Major John Sheppard was still amazed at the idea of the Stargate. He hadn't accepted the idea that he would soon possibly travel through the device to another galaxy quite yet; for now, the shear greatness of what the Stargate had already done was enough to keep his thoughts occupied.

General O'Neill had caught him in the gate room more that once, just staring at the huge stone ring. Claiming that he was tired of looking out the briefing room window, only to be welcomed by the site of a military officer drooling over the gate, General O'Neill had finally ordered Sheppard out of the gate room to "bug someone else".

Thus, Sheppard found himself wandering around the halls of the SGC, unsure of where anything was, or who anyone was. He'd briefly met some of his fellow expedition members, and Dr. Weir had made it clear that she would not mind talking with him, if he had any doubts about the expedition. However, she'd been in back-to-back meetings for the past two days and was thus quite unavailable.

Sheppard still did not know what to think of any of the expedition members he had met; he hadn't gotten much of a chance to speak with any of them, as most were preparing those materials that they would need in the Pegasus galaxy as well as getting their own personal affairs in order. He was hoping to get to learn more about some of them before the expedition began.

Sheppard pressed himself against a wall as two men pushing carts loaded with supplies came by. When he looked back down the hall to verify that no other carts were coming, he caught sight of a tall woman with blonde hair, dressed in standard SGC BDUs, who was also pressed against the wall. She stepped away from the wall and made her way towards him, a smile on her lips.

"You know? I almost can't wait until the expedition team is able to leave. Things have been so hectic around here lately," she said to Sheppard.

Sheppard, unsure of what to say, merely plastered a half-smile on his face.

The woman extended her hand to him. "Samantha Carter," she said in introduction.

He'd heard the name Sam Carter many times since his arrival at the SGC; he'd admittedly assumed that the commander of the flagship team at the SGC was a man, so he was pleasantly surprised to learn that the leader of SG-1 was a beautiful blonde woman who was both an Air Force officer and an accomplished scientist. Sheppard took her hand and shook it. "John Sheppard."

Recognition dawned on Carter's face. "You're the natural at Ancient technology," she observed. "General O'Neill told me about you."

Sheppard, again unsure of what to say, merely shrugged.

"I was hoping to meet you. I was wondering if you could help me with something," she said.

"Sure," Sheppard replied, partly glad that he now had something to do and partly annoyed that, yet again, it seemed as if his only reason for being at the SGC at all was his ability to use Ancient technology.

"I'm working on a device in my lab; I've run as many tests as I can think of on it, and I can't find anything that would suggest that it's dangerous, but I can't turn it on. I'm assuming that someone with the Ancient gene would have to initiate it," Carter informed Sheppard as she led the way to her lab.

After a few minutes of walking, Carter broke the silence and asked, "So, are you excited to be going on this expedition?"

Sheppard shrugged. "I guess. I'm still trying to put my head around it all."

Carter nodded. "It's a lot to take in at once."

"When do you get used to it?" Sheppard asked.

"Never, I suppose. You just start accepting that every day will be another surprise," Carter answered.

They reached Carter's lab and entered. There were at least three different devices on her lab table, all under various stages of scrutiny. Carter led the way around the table to the device she wanted Sheppard to help her with.

"We think that it can be used as some sort of data storage device. There may be some information stored in here that could help the expedition team," Carter explained.

Sheppard touched the device and felt a slight vibration under his fingers, but the movement abruptly stopped. Sheppard looked at Carter and shook his head. Carter sighed and contemplated the contraption.

"Maybe you need to think something like 'on'," she speculated.

Sheppard nodded and touched the device again, this time thinking 'on'. He again felt a slight vibration, but it too was short-lived.

"Maybe there's a piece missing," Sheppard suggested.

Carter started to shake her head but then stopped, and looked around the lab table until she found a small device on the far end. "We found this with it," she told Sheppard. "I couldn't figure out how you attach it to the device, but maybe the user needs to hold it and the machine in order to make it work," she said.

Sheppard took the device from her and held it in his left hand as he touched the device in his right. He immediately felt the device come to life under his hand. He looked up at Carter to see her face light up with excitement as a screen came up with writing in Ancient.

"I'll need Daniel to translate this," she said. She motioned for Sheppard to take his hand off of the device and took the hand-held device from him. She put her own free hand on the device and found that it turned on to her touch now. "Thanks for all your help," she said, beaming at Sheppard.

"No problem," Sheppard replied, smiling genuinely for what seemed to be the first time since he'd agreed to go on the expedition. After being transferred to MacMurdoh, Sheppard hadn't had much of an opportunity to help others. But now, he had people who would be counting on him for assistance.

Sheppard was beginning to look forward to the expedition; potentially discovering new technologies such as the one in front of him. And he would be an integral part in figuring many of the devices did.

"Major Carter," a man said as he walked by the door.

"McKay," Carter greeted, her teeth slowly clenching. "It's Lieutenant Colonel," she added in correction.

"Oh, right. I thought I'd heard something about your promotion," McKay said.

"Can I help you?" Carter asked.

"No, I was just passing by. Figured you'd be hurt if I didn't come by and see you," McKay answered.

"How thoughtful, McKay," Carter replied. "But I'm busy."

"Come on, Sam. I'll be in Pegasus in a few days. And who knows when we'll be back," McKay said.

"Oh, that's right," Sheppard said suddenly. "I knew you looked familiar. You're on the expedition team."

McKay glanced over at Sheppard for a moment and considered him. "I could have sworn that's what I just said," he mused before turning back to Carter.

Sheppard blinked in shock. Carter looked over at him and shook her head slightly, sending the message that it wasn't just Sheppard; McKay was always like that.

Perhaps there was some merit to his feelings of apprehension…..

McKay looked over at the lab table, at the device that Carter and Sheppard had just been working on. "What's this?" he asked.

"It's an Ancient device that we believe stores information," Carter replied.

"Need some help with it?" McKay asked, his face lighting up.

"I think we've got it figured out. I just need Daniel to translate what it says," Carter replied.

"Fine," McKay replied, looking hurt. "You know where to find me if you need me. Perhaps we can have dinner together later," he added before turning and leaving the lab.

Carter turned to Sheppard. "Sorry about that. He can be a little…"

"Arrogant?" Sheppard offered.

"I was going to say 'condescending'," Carter replied. "But you get used to him. He's really quite brilliant."

"Yeah, well, I just hope not everyone on the expedition is like him," Sheppard said.

"I didn't get to know Dr. Weir all that well, but from what I saw during the time that she was commanding this base, I'd say she's pretty good at what she does," Carter informed him.

Sheppard nodded; from what he'd learned about Dr. Weir in the last few days, she was probably the best person to lead the expedition to the Pegasus Galaxy, despite the fact that she was a civilian.

"Thanks again for all of your help," Carter said. "Would you be interested in seeing any of the other devices the SG teams have brought back lately?"

Sheppard nodded, eager to see more of what he could potentially be uncovering in a few weeks.

"Sheppard," came a voice from the doorway.

Sheppard and Carter both stood up a little straighter as General O'Neill entered the lab. Carter relaxed quickly when O'Neill threw her a look.

"Here you are," O'Neill said. "When I told you to go find someone else to bug, I didn't think you'd come up to the labs."

"Sorry, sir," Sheppard said. "I was just helping Colonel Carter out with this device."

"Already recruiting the new guy to help you with your doohickeys, Carter?" O'Neill asked. Carter smiled sheepishly and shrugged. "She's always reelin' in the new ones," O'Neill informed Sheppard.

"Well, sir, we were able to turn the device on," Carter said with a smile.

"I'm impressed, Sheppard. Most people don't even understand what Carter says half the time," O'Neill said with a smile. "She must have really liked you if she asked nicely from the start."

"Sir," Carter said with mock indignation.

Sheppard watched the two bickering. They'd been on the same team for seven years, had worked side-by-side every day, and this relationship was the product. They were friends, probably best friends.

Sheppard knew, at that moment, that regardless of people like McKay who would be on the expedition, if he was able to be half as close to his team members as SG-1 seemed to be, then the Atlantis expedition would be the best assignment that he'd ever had.


	2. Family Bonds

A/N: Here's the second story in the series. This story takes place after "The Siege, Part 3", but before "Intruder", and it takes place during the beginning of Season 9 of SG-1, after Carter returns from Area 51. Also, there is some Sam/Jack ship in this story, which will continue throughout the rest of this series. Thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

"So, Lieutenant Colonel?" came a voice from the doorway. Sheppard looked up from the book that he was reading to find Samantha Carter standing in front of him. He'd been waiting for her in her lab, and he'd picked up the unfinished manuscript of the book that she was writing.

Sheppard smiled at Carter. "Big shock, huh?"

"Oh, I don't know," Carter replied with a smile. "You've been doing a great job in Atlantis from what Ja- General O'Neill tells me."

"He said that?" Sheppard asked, a look of confusion crossing his face.

"Don't be phased by the General's harsh exterior," Carter warned. "He really does like you."

Sheppard, feeling somewhat awkward about discussing O'Neill, decided to change the subject. He indicated the manuscript in his hand. "Interesting stuff," he said.

"It's not finished yet. I've been writing it in my spare time," Carter replied.

"Which I'm sure you have a lot of," Sheppard said with a smirk.

"What with this new Ori threat, Ba'al, my work with R&D, and…." She tapered off, before starting again. "I don't think that I've been able to sit down and work on the book in three or four months."

"I'm sure you'll find the time to finish it," Sheppard said reassuringly.

Carter smiled in thanks. "So, how does it feel? Officially being military commander of Atlantis?"

Sheppard shrugged. "No different, I guess."

"Maybe when you get back there," Carter suggested.

"Elizabeth thinks I can do it," Sheppard said absently.

Carter nodded. "She's a great judge of character." Carter smiled to herself before adding, "After being in politics for so long, she'd have to be."

Sheppard laughed half-heartedly.

"What's wrong?" Carter asked.

"I was just thinking about how much this expedition has cost us," Sheppard said with a sigh.

"Thinking about Ford?" Carter asked.

Sheppard nodded. "I'm going to go see his family tomorrow. He always talked about how much he missed them."

Carter placed a reassuring hand on Sheppard's arm. "You'll find him," she said.

Sheppard looked at Carter and nodded. He knew that he had to be optimistic that they would find Ford and be able to help him, but it didn't make confronting Ford's family any easier. He didn't know how to deal with the grieving family. He never had to worry about what someone would think if he didn't come home; he couldn't imagine what Ford or his family went through every time that Ford was away from home.

"Penny for your thoughts," Sheppard heard, interrupting his musings. He looked up at Carter and smiled sadly.

"I don't know how people do it," he said.

"Do what?" Carter asked.

"Have families and still do this," Sheppard answered vaguely.

"Serve, you mean?" Carter asked.

"Yeah," Sheppard answered.

"It's hard," Carter said with a sigh.

Sheppard looked at her questioningly.

"Hey," Carter replied. "I've been on both ends. My father served for years. We sat at home waiting for him more than once. And now, I'm the one leaving the family behind. It's not easy, either way."

"Me, I didn't leave anyone behind," Sheppard said.

Carter searched Sheppard's face for a moment before responding. "Is that necessarily a good thing?" she asked quietly.

Sheppard considered for a moment before shrugging. "My parents died when I was at the Academy. I didn't have any brothers or sisters. It's been just me for a long time. I kinda got used to it."

Carter considered Sheppard before inclining her head. "I suppose you do get used to it. But it doesn't necessarily make you happy." Sheppard gave her an inquisitive look. Carter noticed and added, "Look, I barely talked to my father or my brother while I was at the Academy. And after that, I went overseas and then to the Pentagon to work on the Stargate. It became easier not seeing them at all. But being happy…. I don't think I was really happy again until I came here. Sure, I loved my job, but I didn't really have a family again until I joined SG-1."

Sheppard blinked. He hadn't expected Carter's life story. Still, when he considered his own life, he knew that what she was saying made sense. "I guess," he started. "I guess I did miss having someone around. Someone who cares about what happens to you, you know?"

Carter nodded. "It's hard, knowing that you're leaving someone behind. But then again, you always have someone to fight to come back to."

"Guess I never thought of it like that," Sheppard responded.

Carter paused for a moment before replying. "My first year here, General O'Neill and I were separated from Daniel and Teal'c when the Stargate malfunctioned, and we ended up in Antarctica. He told me that thinking about Sarah, his first wife, got him through a lot of tough times. I never forgot that. He probably wouldn't have survived as long as he has if he hadn't had someone to survive for."

"Who do you have to survive for?" Sheppard asked suddenly. Carter had been talking about coming home to family as if she knew from first-hand experience, but from what Sheppard knew of Carter (which was, admittedly, not much), she did not have any family whom she was close to.

"What?" Carter asked, taken aback by the question.

"Who do you think about when you're out there?" Sheppard reiterated.

Carter bit her lip before answering, thinking carefully about what to say. "Well, there's my brother, Mark," she supplied.

Sheppard searched her face. "You're hiding something," he said with a grin.

"Yup," Carter replied, smirking back.

"There's someone else?" Sheppard asked.

Carter nodded. "Not many people know," she answered. She pulled out her dog tags and showed Sheppard what else was on the chain.

"You're married?" Sheppard asked, shocked as he took in the platinum band with a modest diamond perched on it.

Carter nodded.

"Since when?" Sheppard asked.

"For a few months now. Since I transferred to Area 51 a few months ago," Carter answered.

Sheppard's mind was reeling. He'd heard rumors, but he hadn't put any store into them. "You and…?" he started.

Carter nodded. "We've been trying to keep it our secret."

Sheppard nodded. "I can understand that," he replied, a little shocked at the news.

"Please don't tell anyone. The President knows- he sounded almost happy about it- but still…" She trailed off, not wanting to state the implication out loud.

"Don't worry. I've already forgotten," Sheppard said with a slight smirk as he mocked signs of discomfort.

Carter playfully punched his arm. "Yeah, you're really funny," Carter said with a laugh.

"So, I hear the General's wife is buying dinner tonight," Sheppard said with another smirk.

"Yeah, right," Carter responded. "Come on, Colonel. Let's go get the teams together and we can go celebrate your promotion. And possibly the fact that you're leaving tomorrow," Carter said, with a meaningful look, her twinkling eyes the only thing betraying her harsh expression.

"Whatever you say, Colonel," Sheppard said as he stepped out into the hall and waited for her to turn off the lights in her lab and close the blast door. Yes, tomorrow, he'd return to Atlantis with his team. His family.


	3. On Sheppard's Turf

A/N: This story is set during the SG-1 Episode "The Pegasus Project" before Sam, McKay, and Mitchell embark on the Odyssey.

* * *

"All ready to go?" came a voice from the door. Carter turned around in her seat to see John Sheppard standing at the door.

Carter smiled. "Hey, John."

"Welcome to Pegasus," John said with a smile as he moved into the room. Sam stood and gave Sheppard a hug, which he returned.

"How are you?" Carter asked.

"Good. I'm good. You?" Sheppard asked in return.

"Good. I can't believe we're finally here," Carter said with a smile, indicating the room.

"Dr. Jackson seems pretty excited," Sheppard said.

"Well, you saw how desperate Daniel was to come. It's taken him two years to get here," Carter replied.

"Yeah," Sheppard responded, remembering how amused he'd been when Daniel had almost bounded into the control tower, eager to see the city. "So? Working already?" he asked, pointing at the open computer that Carter had been working at when he'd come in.

"Yeah, I wanted to check over a couple of things before we left," Carter said, glancing down at the computer.

"Risky plan, huh?" Sheppard asked.

"Not as risky as it would be to leave the supergate open for more Ori ships to come through," Carter replied.

"Good point," Sheppard responded.

"What are you up to today?" Carter asked.

"Standard recon mission," Sheppard answered.

"Same old boring routine, huh?" Carter asked with a smirk.

"Yeah," Sheppard replied, with a sigh.

"Well, knowing your track record, I'm sure something interesting will come up," Carter mused.

"True," Sheppard responded. "When are you guys heading up?"

"In about an hour," Carter told him. "Speaking of which, have you seen McKay? As much as I hate to admit it, I need him to go over these calculations."

Sheppard shrugged. "Last I saw, he was trying to figure out how to get a lemon away from Cam." Sheppard smiled slyly.

"Yeah? Wonder how he got the lemon in the first place." Carter smirked back.

"No idea," Sheppard said innocently.

"How do you know Cam anyway?" Carter asked, curious.

"We were at the Academy together," Sheppard answered.

"Ah, the old Academy bond," Carter responded knowingly. She'd been something of a loner while at the Academy, but she'd certainly seen plenty of the guys messing around while she was there.

"How's it been going with him, anyway?" Sheppard asked. He remembered well the kinds of situations Cameron Mitchell got himself in to, and he couldn't imagine what Cam did when he was out in the galaxy.

"It's been going well," Carter answered. "It was a little bumpy at first, but I think we've all adjusted."

"Does he know about you and…?" Sheppard trailed off, still finding it a little strange to acknowledge that she was married to General O'Neill.

"Yeah. Jack and I told him during one of our team nights, before he started getting suspicious about the rumors," Carter answered.

"Yeah, on that note, I heard a rumor that there was something going on between you and McKay," Sheppard started.

"Who told you that?" Carter asked quickly. When Sheppard gave her a meaningful look, revelation hit. "Ah. McKay…"

"Yeah. Well, not exactly. He was on this mission, and he got trapped in a sinking jumper. He was talking about you an awful lot when we finally rescued him," Sheppard said.

"Really?" Carter asked, curiosity peeked. She wondered why.

"Colonel Carter to the Odyssey," came a voice over the local P.A. system. Carter looked up at the source of the sound before looking back at Sheppard. "Guess that's my cue. Good luck on that recon mission."

"Are you kidding? With McKay on your team, it'll be a piece of cake," Sheppard said with a laugh.

Carter smiled back. She packed her laptop quickly and picked up the bag, ready to head out to the Odyssey when a thought struck her. She turned back to Sheppard and said, "Oh, John. One other thing. There's a rule-of-thumb that we use at the SGC. Never believe anything the civilian scientists say, unless it's related to their jobs. As Cam would say 'they're their own kind of crazy'." With those parting words, Carter turned and left the room, leaving John standing in the middle. He let out a laugh before leaving, ready to go on the first McKay-less mission he'd had in a long time.


	4. Lost Home

A/N: Here is the fourth in the Friends Across the Galaxies series. This one takes place during the Atlantis episode, "The Return: Part I". I was really happy with this one when I wrote it, and I hope that you enjoy it as well. As always, thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Samantha Carter had just left the infirmary after her post-mission check-up which had followed a week-long mission on P4C-764, observing a village which had recently succumbed to the Ori. Tired and feeling the strong need for coffee and possibly some blue jello, she was making her way to the commissary when a glimpse that she caught in a doorway caused her to stop and double back.

"John?" she questioned as she stood at the open door to a large office.

Sheppard looked up from his desk, where he'd been writing a mission report. "Hey, Sam. When did you get back?"

"Just now. What are you doing here?" she asked. She bit her lip, realizing that her forwardness may have seemed rude.

John stood up with a smile and rounded his desk. He gave Carter a hug, which she returned, before pulling back. "Glad to see you too."

"Sorry. I'm glad to see you. I hadn't heard that you'd be here," Carter said.

"Yeah," Sheppard replied. "A lot's gone down in the last few days."

"Like what?" Carter asked.

"Well, we found a Lantean ship," Sheppard started.

"What?" Carter asked excitedly, eager to hear about any new features they may have discovered.

"It was traveling at nearly light speed. And there were Ancients on board," Sheppard explained.

"Real live Ancients?" Carter questioned.

Sheppard nodded. "They decided that they wanted to take control of Atlantis. And that we'd overstayed our welcome," he said, with some bitterness in his voice.

"They kicked you out?" Carter questioned.

"Will you let me finish?" Sheppard asked jokingly.

"Sorry," Carter replied with a sheepish grin. She motioned for him to continue.

"They let Woolsey stay behind. But the rest of us are back on Earth," Sheppard informed her.

"Whoa, we really did miss a lot. Daniel's going to be so angry that he's missing the chance to meet real Ancients," Carter said.

"Yeah, well, they weren't exactly rolling out the 'welcome' mat anyway," Sheppard said.

"Why Woolsey?" Carter asked.

"I guess because he wasn't already attached. They figured he'd leave if they wanted him to," Sheppard said.

Carter smirked. "Well, they'll be regretting that decision any day now."

"True," Sheppard replied, attempting a smile.

Carter caught his reaction and decided to attempt a change in subject. "So what are you going to do now?" she asked.

"I've been given command of SG-16," Sheppard responded.

"And how's that going?" Carter asked, well aware of the injury record of the team's botanist.

"All right, I guess. We just got back from our first mission. Run-of-the-mill collect some grass, check out the sights. You know," Sheppard said with a sigh.

"It'll get better," Carter said, not sure if she herself believed that.

Sheppard didn't seem to believe her either. He looked at her pointedly.

"Well, maybe more tolerable. And who knows? After Woolsey's done with them, the Ancients might be begging you to come back," Carter offered.

Sheppard laughed at that, thinking of the torture Woolsey's speeches would be bound to put the Ancients through.

The phone ringing on the desk interrupted them. Still laughing, Sheppard went to pick up the phone.

"Sheppard," he said into the receiver.

"What's so funny?" came the voice from the other end.

"McKay?" Sheppard questioned.

"Yeah. You didn't answer my question," was the reply.

"Nothing. Carter just said something funny," Sheppard replied. Carter motioned that she would leave, but Sheppard waved her over to the chair on the other side of his desk. She took a seat.

"Sam's there?" McKay asked.

"Yeah, Rodney. I'll put it on speaker," Sheppard told him. He pushed the button and put down the receiver.

"Hey, McKay," Carter said.

"Sam. How're things?" McKay asked.

"Good. Where are you?" Carter asked.

"Area 51. Don't they tell you anything around there?" McKay asked.

"I just got back from a week-long stealth mission. I didn't have time to check my memos," Carter replied.

"Well, while you were gallivanting off on some strange planet, I was here, looking over some of the designs for the upgrades on the X-304s," McKay said, all importantly.

Carter rolled her eyes. Not only did she realize that McKay was merely trying to bait her, but she also figured that he too was not all that happy about being back on Earth.

Sheppard stifled a laugh as he asked, "So what's up, Rodney?"

McKay was silent for a moment, before replying. "Nothing. It was nothing."

"Rodney," Sheppard replied, trying to drag a response out of McKay.

"It was nothing. I'll call back later, when you're not busy," McKay said.

Sheppard was just about to start again when he was interrupted by yet another person at his door.

"Carter, there you are," O'Neill said as he entered the office.

Sheppard immediately jumped out of his chair, as did Carter, though Sheppard figured that they both had different motives for doing so. "Sir," she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Just got out of a meeting with Hank about this whole Atlantis… thing…" O'Neill replied.

"John was just telling me about it," Carter replied.

"So, Carter…Hank wants to postpone your post-mission briefing until tomorrow. What do you say to grabbing some dinner?" O'Neill asked.

"I would love to, sir," Carter said with a smirk.

"Sheppard, I'd invite you, but…" O'Neill trailed off.

"I get it, sir," Sheppard said, holding up his hand to indicate that he would very much appreciate it if O'Neill didn't finish his sentence.

"Good. As you were, Sheppard," O'Neill said, standing back to let Carter exit.

"I'll see you later, John," Carter said with a smile. "Bye, McKay," she added, directing her voice towards the phone.

"McKay was on the phone?" Sheppard could hear O'Neill asking Carter as they made their way down the hall towards the elevator.

"What just happened?" McKay asked, confused.

"Nothing, Rodney," Sheppard replied with a private smile. "So, what were you saying about the additions to the X-304s?" he asked.

That got McKay talking eagerly and quite rapidly for the next few minutes, sufficiently distracting him and Sheppard from further thoughts of O'Neill and Carter, for which Sheppard was grateful.

He smiled as he listened to McKay ramble on about the new fuel being developed for the sublight engines that would make them more efficient; he was grateful for these small moments that made him feel like Atlantis was not a fading dream.


	5. A Friend Lost

**A/N:** Originally, this was going to be the last little story in this series. But after watching the first few episodes of the 4th season, I definitely think that there's potential for these stories to continue. So continue they shall. (I'm so glad to see that these didn't become AU with the inception of the 4th season! Except for perhaps the SJ pairing, but a girl can hope, and so I'll continue hoping.)

Anyway, this story is set right after "Sunday", when the team gates back to Earth. Needless to say, there are major spoilers for the episode.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything.

* * *

"John," came a voice from the doorway of the open room. Sheppard turned and saw Samantha Carter standing at his door.

"Sam," Sheppard said in greeting and motioned for her to enter.

"I'm so sorry," she said, coming in.

Sheppard nodded and then looked to the floor. He knew that Carter had suffered loss in her life, but his felt so close that he didn't think anyone, save perhaps the others on the Atlantis expedition team, would understand.

Carter sensed Sheppard's resistance; she had seen it from O'Neill and from her father many times in the past. She decided to wait it out for a bit, and see if Sheppard wanted to talk.

A few minutes later, a response came. Sheppard sank down onto the bed and put his head down on his hands. Carter moved over and placed a supportive hand on his back. "I can't believe he's gone," Sheppard said quietly.

Carter didn't say anything; she sat there with Sheppard for some time, offering him silent strength.

"Anything can change in an instant," Sheppard said suddenly. "He got that exploding tumor out of Watson. If he'd been a couple of minutes faster-" Sheppard's voice caught in his throat as he realized what he was saying. Blaming anyone would do no good. It would not bring Beckett back.

Sheppard regained his composure after a few minutes. Looking at Carter, he managed a half-smile, giving silent thanks for her support, before asking, "How's McKay doing?"

"Not all that well," Carter answered honestly. "I think that he went to see his sister. He's still a little shook up from going to see Dr. Beckett's family."

"Seven kids. Can you believe it? I can't imagine what it was like growing up in a house like that," Sheppard said with a small smile.

Carter smiled too, and nodded her head. "Must have been a lot of fun," she mused.

Sheppard nodded and fell silent again.

Carter waited until Sheppard spoke again, not wanting to intrude on his musings.

"We're going back tomorrow," Sheppard said finally.

"It'll seem wrong, to be there without him," Carter said, sure that she was voicing the thoughts of every member of the Atlantis expedition.

Sheppard looked up quickly. It was strange to hear it said out loud, and by an outsider, no less. Still, it was true.

Carter continued, satisfied that she hadn't overstepped any boundaries. "It'll get better with time. It's tough to lose a friend. Especially one who you never expected to be killed on the job," she said knowledgeably.

"He barely ever went off world," Sheppard argued, more to himself than to Carter.

Silence fell upon the pair once more.

When Sheppard spoke again two minutes later, his tone was a happier one, though a hint of sadness remained. "Did you read the report about the whales we found?"

Carter blinked. Had she not known Jack for ten years, she would have been worried. But she was well-acquainted with that coping technique. So instead of objecting to the question, she smiled and answered, "Yeah. It was fascinating." Normally, she would have marveled over the whales' ability to anticipate the impending natural disaster, but she sensed that Sheppard had more reason to mention the creatures than her obvious interest in them.

"You know that McKay named one after you?" Sheppard asked vaguely.

"What?" Carter asked.

"Yeah, the first one that we encountered. He says that it was the same one that was swimming around the Jumper when we found him last year," Sheppard told her.

"He mentioned something about that when I was in Pegasus. I was wondering…" Carter mused.

"Yeah. He went on about that stupid whale for weeks. Talked about how it and you saved his life. Zelenka was very upset," Sheppard joked.

Carter smiled. "And you?"

Sheppard feigned nonchalance. "Oh, I didn't care all that much. I mean, Zelenka and I pushed the Jumper to its limits to get McKay out, but the whale did try to eat him."

"Does that say something about what McKay thinks about me?" Carter asked with a laugh.

Sheppard laughed briefly and then fell silent again.

"It's all right to laugh, you know," Carter said quietly. Sheppard looked up at her but did not say anything, so Carter continued. "He would want you to move on."

"Why do people always say that?" Sheppard asked suddenly.

Carter blinked, taken aback. Regaining her composure, she contemplated the question for a moment. "I'm not sure," she answered finally. "It doesn't ever really help."

"Right. And how do we know what the person would want?" Sheppard asked.

"If there's one thing that I've learned working at the SGC all of these years, it's that the people who work here know what to expect. They know that, if anything happens, we still have to keep going," Carter said slowly. It had taken her awhile to come to that realization, but a few months before Janet Frasier had been killed, the two women had discussed it and come to the conclusion that those who died in the line of duty had died with honor, doing something that they had chosen to do and protecting the entire planet while they were doing it. It had made it easier to come to peace with Janet's death, knowing that the late doctor had felt that way.

Sheppard nodded. "I suppose so," he responded, absently.

Carter paused before continuing. "Don't you want people to move on if anything happens to you?" It was a personal question, one for which she would not feel offended if she did not receive an answer.

Sheppard considered her for a moment before opening his mouth. He'd never stopped to properly consider his own mortality as it related to the rest of his team members. "I…" He sighed before continuing. "I guess I would want them to. We've got our mission. But…" he paused before continuing. "I would want people to remember."

Carter was surprised by Sheppard's openness on the matter. She'd accepted that Sheppard was very similar to Jack, selfless but very quiet about his own desires, but he had just shown her that he was different. "That's reasonable," she mused. "You've made an impact, John, just like Dr. Beckett has. People won't easily forget what you've done for this planet… this galaxy, even."

"As soon as they actually learn about it," he said with a laugh.

Carter joined his laugh. "Right," she agreed.

Sheppard sighed. Carter was right. And while he did not yet feel entirely comforted by her words, he knew that he would be able to return to Atlantis with the knowledge that Carson Beckett's death was not in vain; he had died a hero and for that, and for his good heart, he would be remembered. For the moment, John Sheppard's family was safe and they would stand together and move on in order to honor the sacrifice of Carson Beckett.


	6. Supporting a Friend

A/N: It occurred to me how incredibly Sam-centric these stories have been, and that's not fair to any die-hard Atlantis fans out there. This one is more focused on both characters, and John definitely gets his moment to shine. Thanks for reading, and, as always, reviews are appreciated.

Disclaimer: I own nothing...

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**Story 6: Supporting a Friend**

"How ya holding up?"

Carter turned when she heard the question from the doorway to her quarters.

True enough, the two had become friends over the past few years, but Carter knew that this had to be awkward for Sheppard. The circumstances of her arrival on Atlantis just did not make for an easy resumption of their relationship. And to add to everything else, she was now his commanding officer, something that she never would have expected to happen.

By this time, Carter was well aware of how Sheppard felt about the people on Atlantis; they were his family, and losing any one of them was extremely hard on him. And he had a special bond with Weir, something that seemed to move beyond just mutual respect.

She smiled at him and motioned for him to enter. "Fine. Finally got everything unpacked."

"That's not what I meant."

Carter sighed. "I know," she responded.

Sheppard took his eyes off of his new commanding officer to look around the rather barren room. He took in the few personal items that Carter had displayed in the room and sighed. He had been hoping that she would be more direct about how she was feeling being in the Pegasus Galaxy or that at least there would be some indication of how she was doing by the way that she had decorated.

"It's surreal," she said unexpectedly. Sheppard turn back to face her and met her eyes. "This is an amazing assignment. But…"

"You left a lot of people back on Earth?" Sheppard finished.

Carter smiled; the man would know. "Yeah."

"You didn't have to take the job," Sheppard reminded her.

"Are you kidding? Miss out on this chance of a lifetime?"

"But what about…?"

"He's all right. Duty calls. At least that's what he said."

Sheppard narrowed his eyes. Carter was in love; that much he could tell. As nonchalant as she tried to sound, Sheppard knew that it was bothering her that her husband hadn't tried to stop her from coming.

Sheppard was no good at this; he knew that. And he could not help but think that something like this would be right up Dr. Weir's alley. But he had started the conversation, so he would have to finish it.

"You know… I reckon he didn't want you to give up the chance."

Carter blinked. She had not expected a response from the man in front of her. She nodded.

Sheppard, wishing sorely that he hadn't said anything, frowned and moved closer to his friend. "If you hadn't come here, you'd always wonder."

Carter considered Sheppard for a moment. She'd never honestly expected that level of astuteness from him. But he was certainly intelligent in his own right. "How do you know that?"

"I would have felt the same way if I hadn't come," he answered.

Carter nodded. She knew that he was right. Still, it bothered her that Jack had not said much about her leaving.

"Look, I don't know General O'Neill all that well, but it seems to me that he doesn't like to open up much."

She knew that Jack cared, that he would miss her, just as she missed him. But he had hidden it well so that she would not be compelled to give up the chance of a lifetime. And, while she could be rational about the situation and reason that he was bothered by her leaving, his lack of emotion when she left still stung.

"How are you holding up?" she asked, partly because she was eager to drop the subject of herself, but mostly because she truly wanted to know.

"Fine," was Sheppard's immediate answer.

Carter looked at him pointedly and Sheppard was forced to elaborate.

"Nothing we can do right now, right?"

"John, I wish it was different. I wish that Dr. Weir had never been injured that badly and that she was here."

"Yeah," John said wistfully.

"But for right now…"

"We'll keep fighting the good fight."

"And hopefully, soon, we get her back."

Sheppard smiled. "I hear McKay came to see you."

"Yeah…" Sam grimaced. "He came to tell me that he has a girlfriend now."

"Well, you know McKay."

Sam nodded in agreement. "I'm happy for him."

"Are you ever going to tell him about you and…" After two years of knowing about the two, Sheppard could still not bring himself to think of Carter as the General's wife.

Carter smiled. "Maybe. But it's kinda fun, this back and forth with McKay."

"Did he see the fruit?"

"Oh, yeah. He was definitely more than a little irked. Thanks for that."

John laughed. The two had fallen back into the old ease with which they had always had conversations without even realizing it, and both were grateful that they had not lost a friend through Atlantis's latest ordeal.

"I think you're going to like it here," John said. "It's not so bad."

"Hey, what's a couple of life-sucking aliens and machines bent of domination of the galaxy?"

"Just another day at work, right?"

The two talked for a while longer before Sheppard excused himself to get to bed. He sighed as he walked through the darkened corridors of Atlantis to his quarters. Weir was gone for now, true enough, but they would get her back, and in the meantime, they had an intelligent and compassionate commander who would ensure the safety of the base and its personnel. And with that thought, perhaps Sheppard would finally be able to get a good night's sleep.


End file.
